ELDER: A New Direction but the Same God

Our oldest grandson is one of the many high school students who are graduating this year. It is a significant milestone as these young people leave one phase of their lives and commence a new and different facet of their journey. We face similar pivotal moments at various times throughout our lives — getting married, having children, changing jobs, relocating. Even as we get older, we have to deal with saying goodbye to longtime familiar seasons of life and opening ourselves up to some new stage. It may be when we become empty-nesters, when we retire, or when health issues force us to relinquish some of our independence. Life is full of graduations and commencements, moving from one chapter to the next.

Those transition times can be stressful, even scary. We are leaving what we are familiar and comfortable with while stepping out into strange and uncertain territory. Therefore sometimes we may be tempted to hang onto the past and have a hard time giving it up. We may hesitate about walking into the unknown or refuse to take those steps even though we know it is the way we need to go. It can be a difficult time in our lives.